Brothers
by Whisperwill
Summary: Drabbles that chronicle the years of Gaara's life. From Kankuro's point of view. In the blistering heat of the desert, the Sand siblings grow up in a cold world. But they still have each other.
1. He Screamed

**Disclaimer: I don't own the unparalleled _Naruto_. I am not making money off this fanfiction story.**

**A/N: Originally completed 5/29/10. Sand sibling rivalry! Gotta love 'em. Do review once you read; this is all I ask!**

**Rated K+ for mentions of blood/violence. **

**Brothers**

He Screamed

Were mothers supposed to cry out like that when they had babies? It made Kankuro's heart pound to hear it. The door was locked, and he _had_ to see what was going on. He pounded on it insistently. When no one opened the door or moved to help him, he banged even more loudly. He glared at the man who'd been assigned to care for him and his sister, silently ordering him to grant Kankuro's request as he always did—there was an advantage to being the Kazekage's son. But this time, the caretaker just scowled and shook his head.

Just then, the door opened. Kankuro stood on tiptoe to see inside, but a man slipped out and shut the door so quickly that Kankuro couldn't manage to catch a glimpse of the room's interior. It was Yashamaru. He looked pale and shaken; it was hard to tell if the fluid trickling down his cheeks was sweat or tears. Kankuro quickly pulled on the leg of his pants. Yashamaru, upon looking down and noticing him, immediately offered him one of his sweet smiles.

"Your mother is having a baby," he said.

"Baby," Kankuro echoed him.

"That's right. You wouldn't want to wait around in there while your mother is in bed," Yashamaru cajoled him. Kankuro couldn't see why not; Father and Granny Chiyo were allowed in. "That room is no place for children," Yashamaru explained patiently. He crouched next to little Kankuro and patted his head. "Don't worry; it won't be long now. And when it's all over, you'll have a new baby brother."

"Brudder?" he repeated. He blanched when a scream came from behind the door, the loudest, most horrible scream yet. Then a baby's voice joined it—and he wasn't crying, sobbing, or even wailing. He was screaming too, as if he were in excruciating pain. From the caretaker's arms, three-year-old Temari began to sob. Kankuro whimpered and gulped down a sob of his own. Yashamaru rose and put his hand on the doorknob.

"You'll understand in time," was all he said. Then he disappeared into the room again.

But Kankuro didn't understand. Not in the days to come. Not when he was older.

Not ever.


	2. He Fell

He Fell

Gaara was one year old, and finally Father was going to let them hold him. Until now, the only people who had been allowed to do so were Uncle Yashamaru, Caretaker Baki, and Father himself. Kankuro's face lit up with delight as the baby was laid in his arms. Gaara squirmed and began to wail fretfully, but that was nothing new. He always seemed to be crying for one reason or another. Kankuro rocked him as he'd seen his uncle do.

"Hey, Gaara, don't cry," he whispered. "It's okay. . ."

"Me, me!" Temari complained. She held out her arms impatiently. Kankuro rolled his eyes but handed over the baby without a fuss. Temari eagerly grabbed him and began rocking him too exuberantly, the same way she did with her dolls.

Kankuro had gentle hands. He knew how to hold puppet strings delicately and use the slightest of moves to make a marionette dance. But Temari was more energetic. She liked to play tag and wrestle rather than design puppets. And she could be kind of a klutz. When it came to babies, that could be a problem.

She fumbled with the baby blanket wrapped around Gaara and, with no further warning, dropped him. Kankuro's mouth fell open, and their father gave a half-strangled shout and lunged forward. Neither of them was in time to catch him. But it didn't matter, because sand suddenly came out of nowhere and sprang up to cradle Gaara softly before he could hit the ground. The baby stared up at them innocently, unaware that his siblings were goggling at him.

"F-Father?" Kankuro said in a hushed little voice. "What's that?" He pointed a trembling finger at the slithering sand. Sunagakure's Kazekage heaved a sigh.

"Kankuro, Temari . . ." he began, hesitating and then continuing, "your brother has . . . a special power. . ."


	3. He Spoke

He Spoke

Yashamaru came up to them with Gaara on one hip. He was smiling. "You'll never guess what Lord Gaara did today," he said, leaning toward them conspiratorially.

"Ruin another teddy bear?" Kankuro made a poor attempt at a joke. His brother couldn't control his sand very well—sometimes it just seemed to spring out of nowhere and surge outward to attack things. Gaara lost many a teddy that way.

"No," Yashamaru replied. "He said his first word."

"What did he say?" Temari asked, eager to know.

"Well," said Yashamaru, holding Gaara up, "he said . . ."

"Mawi!" Gaara cooed right on cue, waving his arms in his sister's direction. Temari's eyes went wide; then her face melted into a smile.

"Oh, Gaara, you said my name!" she burst out happily. She scooped him from Yashamaru's arms and cradled him in her own. "Can you say it again? 'Temari'?"

"Amawi," Gaara repeated. His clumsy reply was more than enough for Temari, who laughed and crowed exultantly,

"He said my name! His very first word—my name!"

"Big deal," scoffed Kankuro, disgruntled. "He's just repeating what he hears the most."

"Ohhh, he's saying it 'cause I'm his favorite," Temari gushed, kissing Gaara's button nose.

"Amawi!" Gaara babbled. "Gagawoh!" Kankuro blinked, bemused, as Gaara reached toward him with chubby arms. "Gagawoh!" he chirped again. Yashamaru smiled and lifted the little two-year-old over to him.

"I think Lord Gaara likes you both," he commented with another smile.


End file.
